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2008 Elite Athletes of the Year

USA Triathlon is pleased to announce the recipients of its annual Elite Athlete of the Year awards for 2008 as selected by the USAT Athlete Advisory Council and sponsored by Garmin International.

Highlighting the list are Olympic/ITU Triathletes of the Year Matt Reed and Laura Bennett. Andy Potts and Becky Lavelle were named Non-ITU Athletes of the Year. Rookies of the Year Awards (first pro race was in 2008) went to Laurel Wassner and Daniel Bretscher. Jasmine Oeinck and Ethan Brown were crowned U23 Athletes of the Year, while Kate Ross and Ben Steavenson earned the Junior Athlete of the Year Awards.

“This is a huge honor and I am thrilled to receive this award,” said Reed. “Last year was a year of super highs and low lows, and this award helps me swallow my sub-par performance at my first Olympic games and know that my week in, week out performances were appreciated.”

“We have several great women representing USA in triathlon,” said Bennett. “I feel honored to be among them and have the opportunity to be awarded the recognition for USAT Athlete of the year for 2008.”

Elite Non-ITU Athlete of the Year

ANDY POTTS, 32, PRINCETON, N.J. / COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.

2008 Accomplishments7th place – Ironman World Championship (top American)6th place – Ironman 70.3 World Championship (top American)1st place – Ironman 70.3 California1st place – Ironman 70.3 Timberman1st place – Escape from Alcatraz2nd place – Lifetime Fitness Triathlon2nd place – U.S. Olympic Team Trials2nd place – St. Anthony’s Triathlon2nd place – LA Triathlon2nd place – Dallas US Open Triathlon2008 U.S. Olympic Team alternate

“I am honored to be named 2008 Athlete of the Year (Non-ITU). It is always nice to be recognized for my hard work and dedication by my peers and USAT,” said Potts. “I had some pretty lofty goals when the season began. Even though I had some disappointments during the year, I think that my ability to bounce back and achieve new goals was what made the year a success. I consider myself very fortunate that I can learn and relearn some of life’s lessons through triathlon.”

BECKY LAVELLE, 34, MINNETONKA, MINN. / LOS GATOS, CALIF.

2008 AccomplishmentsToyota Cup Series ChampionU.S. Olympic Team Alternate3rd place - 70.3 World Championship 3rd place - Escape to Bermuda 1st place - Marin County Triathlon1st place - Malibu Triathlon1st place - LA Triathlon1st place - Chicago Triathlon1st place - Zone Urban Epic2nd place - NYC Tri3rd place - Life Time Fitness8th place - Hy-Vee World Cup2nd place - Escape from Alcatraz5th place - St. Anthony's Triathlon3rd place - Iron Girl Las Vegas

“I am truly honored to receive this recognition from USAT,” said Lavelle. “They have been a big support in my success and I look forward to making 2009 an even better year.”

“Receiving this award is the highlight of what was a great summer of racing for me,” said Bretscher. “This award is the result of hours, days, weeks, months, years of commitment and hard work. I look forward to representing USA Triathlon in future years as a professional triathlete.”

"It's a huge honor to be named Rookie of the Year four years after my twin sister won the same award,” said Wassner. “I have overcome many obstacles to get here, and it means a lot to me that all of my hard work has been recognized. At one point, I never thought I'd compete in triathlons, let along win this award. It just goes to show you -- never give up on your dreams!"

“I'm extremely excited and grateful to receive this accolade for the second year in a row,” said Brown. “It took a lot of hard work and tremendous support from friends, family, and sponsors. I hope to continue the success I've had from the U23 ranks into 2009 and beyond.”

“It's a great honor to receive U23 athlete of the year,” said Oeinck. “It has been a great learning and growing experience to race in the U23 category, and I am looking forward to the challenges and opportunities of aging up; although it would be nice to be like Peter Pan and the lost boys and stay young forever and be a perpetual U23 athlete.”

"I am very honored to have received the male junior elite Athlete of the Year award and would like to thank my family and Angel at Cadence Cycle for all of their support this past season,” said Steavenson. “I am looking forward to another exciting summer of training and racing.”

“I've had so much support from USAT, the Olympic Training Center, my parents and brother, and my coach, Shelly,” said Ross. “I wouldn't have been able to accomplish what I have without them.”

About Garmin InternationalGarmin International is a world leader in GPS navigation with products for the automotive, marine, recreation/fitness and aviation markets. Runners, cyclists and triathletes around the world rely on Garmin fitness products to take their training to the next level. The GPS-enabled Forerunner® 305 is ideally suited for multisport training. In addition to tracking speed, distance, pace, heart rate, elevation and cadence, it’s available with a quick-release wrist and bike mount. And the training never ends after the workout. Athletes can upload their data to our online analysis program, Garmin Connect™, to view in-depth metrics, overlay their activity on a variety of maps and share routes and courses with a worldwide community of fitness enthusiasts.

In addition to sponsoring USAT's Athletes of the Year program, Garmin supports the USAT Trade Team and Coaching Education Program with their renowned GPS-based training and mapping tools.